DAWN OF OUROBOROS: “BIOLUMINESCENCE”

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Apr 212025
 

(Below we present DGR‘s review of the new album by Dawn of Ouroboros, which was released last month by Prosthetic Records.)

Oakland’s Dawn Of Ouroboros have been a vexing band since their founding, part of a class of black metal collectives for whom the genre is one more arrow in the quiver than something to be wholly defined by. They’re part of a grouping for whom the multi-faceted, multi-genre approach has led to something less conventional than straightforward songwriting and more avant-garde with the addition of many a post-black metal and shoegaze element into their overall approach.

Being frank, there’s even been a sense within the band’s music that they’re still searching for how to jam all the pieces together, and so a journey into their discography can be a journey through just as many generally beautiful and transcendent moments as there are times when the band are still learning how to juxtapose such oppositional elements together within the same particular song.

As a result, they’ve been difficult to pin down on each album – like a creature stubbornly moving just to the side every time you’re about to finally set the specimen in place for display. They’ve been a musical cat that doesn’t want to be picked up, somehow turning to liquid and falling through your arms every time.

There is no singular approach to a band like Dawn Of Ouroboros, and so a single- dimensional approach falls to pieces within a song or two. Very few musical narratives fit the band as a result, but the one that has been steady is that as they’ve gotten deeper into their career, they’ve gotten distinctly better. Each album shows a stronger understanding of just how to take these musical parts and jam them together without it sounding like you’ve broken out a brad-nailer for that particular purpose. Their newest album Bioluminescence is the strongest example of that yet. Continue reading »

ESKRÖTA – BLASFÊMEA

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Apr 212025
 

(Andy Synn has a lot of love for the new album from Brazilian blasphemers Eskröta)

Look, let’s cut to the chase shall we?

Sometimes all you really need in life is a cavalcade of righteous riffs and hefty, headbangable hooks to help get you through the day.

And if they come with a side-helping of “stick it to the man” ideology, and a welcome sense of social conscience?

Well, that’s all the better.

And, lo and behold, Thrashcore/Crust Punk crossover crew Eskröta deliver all that and more on Blasfêmea.

Continue reading »

A 420 VIDEO PREMIERE: OF WOLVES — “HALFTONE”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Apr 202025
 

(written by Islander)

In celebration of today’s high holiday, and with heads bowed in the direction of the Waldos, we’re hosting a rare Sunday premiere. Blaze and praise!

What we’ve got for you is the premiere of an attention-grabbing animated video for “halfTONE“, the latest single by our friends in Of Wolves, a musically always-hard-to-pin-down but always-captivating band from Chicago whose heads and hearts always seem to be in the right place in turbulent times. Continue reading »

SHADES OF BLACK: SIGNERI, AMBULACRUM, LÁSTIMA, OLESIN, MÜTTERLEIN

 Album Reviews, SHADES OF BLACK, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Apr 202025
 

(written by Islander)

I didn’t think I would do this column today. First, because yesterday I agreed to an emergency request for a premiere today in celebration of the high holiday. And second, because I didn’t go to sleep until 2 am this morning due to an alcohol-fueled reunion with old friends last night.

But so far I haven’t received what I agreed to premiere, and though my brain is very fuzzy I’m thinking some blackish music might clear away the fuzz. So, blaze and praise, here we go. Continue reading »

SEEN AND HEARD ON A SATURDAY: BYZANTINE, CRYPTOPSY, GRUESOME, NIHIL KAOS, WEEPING SORES, XIPHOID DEMENTIA

 Metal News, RANDOM FUCKING MUSIC  1 Response »
Apr 192025
 

(written by Islander)

I began the day, barely awake, by reading an account of how the U.S. Revolutionary War began 250 years ago today. It was delivered in a speech last night, on the 250th anniversary of the famed events that led to war’s commencement. The speaker was a historian, and she told the story at a lantern lighting ceremony at Boston’s Old North Church commemorating the “two if by sea” signal from the church’s steeple.

The narrative of what happened that night and the next day is a remarkable and inspiring story. If you’re so inclined, you can find it here or here. Of course, people now celebrate the events because the cause succeeded. It might just as easily have failed, and all the revolutionaries executed or imprisoned. They certainly didn’t know how things would turn out more than 8 years later, 8 years almost always spent on the brink of failure. They risked their lives anyway, resisting tyranny. Continue reading »

AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: PERCIPIENT — “PORTALS”

 Premieres  1 Response »
Apr 182025
 

(written by Islander)

Percipient is a doom/death metal band hailing from Denver, Colorado. They tell us: “Originally formed in 2020 under a different name, the band endured a series of lineup changes and a brief hiatus before re-emerging with a refined vision. In 2022, they adopted the name Percipient — a reflection of their paranormal lyrical themes and obscure, atmospheric sound.”

As they continued finding their way, and now with a solidified lineup, they also found their voice, or rather voices, because their music has evolved in ways that, while undeniably haunting, are haunting in different ways — as you’re about to find out for yourselves.

The results of Percipient‘s work are now encompassed by an album aptly named Apparitions, which will be released on April 25th. What we have for you today is the premiere of their lyric video for the song “Portals“. Continue reading »

AN NCS PREMIERE: BRZASK — “DER WANDERER IM RIESENGEBIRGE”

 Premieres  No Responses »
Apr 182025
 

(written by Islander)

For reasons you will soon understand, we have learned today about the Karkonosze mountains, often called “The Giant Mountains” in English literature at least since the early 1700s. We’ve learned that it is a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the southwest of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system, and home to the source waters of the Elbe River.

We’ve also learned that the Karkonosze region is one steeped in dark tales and ancient traditions, haunted and harrowed by mountain spirits. And most relevant to what we’re up to today, we’ve learned that the landscapes and legends of this area provided the inspiration for the debut album of the Polish black metal band Brzask, which is set for release on May 2nd by Vendetta Records. The album’s name is Der Wanderer im Riesengebirge, and it’s the album’s fascinating and highly infectious title song we’re bringing you now. Continue reading »

DISARMONIA MUNDI: “THE DORMANT STRANGER”

 Album Reviews  2 Responses »
Apr 182025
 

(Last month brought us the first Disarmonia Mundi album in a decade, and it was just a matter of time before their sworn fan DGR would have something to say about it. Today is that day.)

In today’s exercise we’re going to try not to feel old. We’re going to ignore the aching backs and shattered knees, the thinning hairlines and bags under our eyes, the newly acquired arch support in our shoes, and we’re going to ignore that we’ve lately been on a kick of discussing the generational effect of music.

We’ll ignore that we’re now surprised whenever we see people at a show getting a mark from the venue that isn’t just a wristband stating that they can’t drink and we’re going to ignore that somehow despite showing no interest in two of the following three things, we somehow have still managed to attain a perpetual scent of black coffee, cigarettes, and Icy-Hot/Ben Gay that seems to follow us fucking everywhere.

The way things have been going lately, we’ve gotten pretty good about sticking our head in the sand. While we’re at it we’re even going to ignore that there exists written record of the last time we reviewed Italian melodeath studio project Disarmonia Mundi‘s previous album from almost ten years ago or that in the opening segments of that review, we even joked about just how goddamned long it had been between that disc and 2009’s The Isolation Game, an album that we’ve been going to bat for over the course of sixteen years.

Let’s just brush all of that aside and take things at face value and say that the perpetually underrated Disarmonia Mundi have returned once again after an impressive gap in time between albums for a new 2025 release entitled The Dormant Stranger, or else we’re all going to turn to dust. Continue reading »

CAVE SERMON – FRAGILE WINGS

 Album Reviews  No Responses »
Apr 172025
 

(Andy Synn provides his first impressions of the brand new Cave Sermon album)

Well, well, well… isn’t this a surprise!

And not an unpleasant one, let me make that crystal clear, as Divine Laughter, the second album from Post-Metal prodigy Charlie Park (aka Cave Sermon) was absolutely one of the best albums of 2024 (and only narrowly missed out on a place in my “Critical Top Ten”).

That being said, it’s entirely normal to be a little bit wary and/or sceptical whenever an artist is this prolific – after all, you can have too much of a good thing, and it’d be all too easy for them to accidentally end up repeating themselves, to increasingly diminishing returns, if they haven’t allowed themselves the necessary creative space between releases.

Thankfully, however, despite the truncated timescale between releases, I’m happy to say that Fragile Wings cleverly complements its fantastic predecessor – while also providing some welcome creative contrast – without simply attempting to copy what made it such a success.

Continue reading »

AN NCS EP PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): ÖVERVÅLD — “VIGARV”

 Album Reviews, Premieres, SHORT BUT SWEET  No Responses »
Apr 172025
 

(written by Islander)

We’re about to present a new EP that’s a prime example of music that’s vitriolic and vicious, ferocious and vile, yet as catchy as whatever respiratory virus is now asserting its dominance over a pitiful humanity. It doesn’t play to the cheap seats — it hates you and wants to eat you alive — but even while it’s ruthlessly gutting its listeners and ravenously consuming the remains behind truly abominable vocals, it does so with a flair that’s viscerally compelling.

We’re talking about a new four-track barrage from the Swedish death metal band Övervåld (though it wouldn’t be wrong to brand the new EP “blackened death metal”). The EP’s name is Vigrav and it will be released on CD and digitally by the band on April 20th, with a vinyl edition expected in May via Seven Metal Inches Records. Here’s how Övervåld introduce it: Continue reading »

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